Gianni is a middle-aged man, the only son of his widowed mother, with whom he lives in an old house in central Rome. Living under the tyranny of this impoverished aristocrat, his life drags on between housework and going to the bar. The day before the August bank holiday the apartment manager asks him to take his mother into his home for the two days of the bank holiday. In exchange, he will knock some money off the debts Gianni has run up over the years. Gianni is forced to accept.

The manager treacherously turns up with two women, since he doesn't know where to take his aunt, he brings her along too. Gianni is overwhelmed and crushed by the clash between these three dominant characters, but heroically does his best to make them happy. At a certain point he feels faint and calls a friend of his who is a doctor. The doctor not only reassures Gianni, but foists his own elderly mother on him, since he is on shift at the hospital. Gianni goes through 24 hours of hell. But when at last it’s time to say goodbye, the women have other ideas…

Gianni Di Gregorio was born in Rome in Trastevere, where he still lives and works. After studying classics at high school before attending the Accademia di Arti Sceniche in Rome, run by Alessandro Fersen, where he took a diploma in directing and acting. For three years he worked in Fersen’s experimental research workshop (taking part in seminars and exchanges with the groups of Bob Wilson, Grotowski, Kantor and Chaikin), which led to the show LEVIATHAN, presented at the Festival of Spoleto in 1976. After three years of theatre, as an assistant director and actor, he saw Scorsese’s film MEAN STREETS, which made such an impression on him that he left theatre and started to work in film.

In 1986 he wrote the screenplay for the film SEMBRA MORTO MA È SOLO SVENUTO by Felice Farina, with Sergio Castellitto and Marina Confalone, which won the Premio FRIPRESCI at the Settimana della Critica, at the 1987 Venice Film Festival. In the same year he wrote the story and screenplay for the film CAREFREE GIOVANNI by Marco Colli, with Sergio Castellitto, Eleonora Giorgi, Aldo Fabrizi, Franco Fabrizi and Luca De Filippo. Presented at the Quinzaine des Realisateurs at Cannes 87, it was awarded the Grand Prix du jury at the festival of Annecy.

In 1991 he wrote Shipwrecks directed by Marco Colli, and the following year he wrote the story and screenplay for the film AFFETTI SPECIALI directed by Felice Farina. In 2000 he wrote the screenplay for LONG LIVE THE MONKEY!, based on the short story LE DUE ZITELLE by Tommaso Landolfi and directed by Marco Colli. He met Matteo Garrone (GOMORRAH) after seeing his first film, TERRA DI MEZZO. He started working with him, as assistant director, in 2000 with Roman Summer, and continued with THE EMBALMER and FIRST LOVE. In 2007, with Braucci, Chiti, Gaudioso, Saviano and Garrone, he co-wrote the screenplay for the film GOMORRAH, directed by Matteo Garrone.